Everyone knows that walking is the most fundamental of all exercise programs. So it makes sense that walking a golf course with a push cart would be considered good for you. This simply has not always been the case though. Due to the start and stop that happens during the round, many have argued that walking with a push cart is not beneficial to your exercise program.

I would suggest that these people have never tried to walk eighteen holes in less than four hours. You basically are taking a 4-5 mile walk every time that you play eighteen holes. In addition, the course has many elevation changes up and down to further add benefits to the activity.

Researcher Gi Magnusson calculates that four hours of playing golf (walking) is comparable to a 45-minute fitness class."

The health benefits of golf are also highlighted in various studies done around the world. Researchers in Sweden found that walking golf equated to 40-percent to 70-percent of the intensity of a maximum aerobic workout, assuming you are walking 18 holes. In the second study cited, cardiologist Dr. Edward A. Palank's study showed that walking golfers reduced their levels of bad cholesterol while keeping their good cholesterol steady; the control group of riding golfers failed to show those good results.

As David Fay of the USGA has written, "We strongly believe that walking is the most enjoyable way to play golf and that the use of carts is detrimental to the game. This negative trend needs to be stopped now before it becomes accepted that riding in a cart is the way to play golf."

Not to sound funny but walking a course gets you closer to the golf course. It is a totally different experience using a push cart across the terrain as opposed to hopping in a regular golf cart. I have found that I am able to learn more about a golf course that I have walked as opposed to those that I ride. Walking with a push cart allows you to gain an appreciation for the nuances of a golf course that just are not visible from a golf cart.

In just the last few years, golf push carts have been revitalized. The baby boomers are retiring and trying to stay in shape as well as the rest of the nation becoming more and more health conscious, using a push cart is much easier than trying to pull a cart or lug a golf bag around the golf course. The new walking golf carts are not your dad's old aluminum tripod with the hard plastic wheels on it. Today, push carts feature tires that look more like bicycle tires that allow you to easily walk the golf course. In addition, there are many golf cart accessories that make you round more enjoyable. Attachments for a water bottle, scorecard, umbrella and even a cell phone are available to have a customized golf cart that helps you enjoy the game.